INCLUSION INTERNATIONAL

31/03/2026

"Inclusion starts at home and continues at school." — Caregiver, Choco, Colombia

In Colombia and Niger, children with disabilities are too often left out of the classroom during crises. With funding from Education Cannot Wait, Inclusion International and the International Disability Alliance are breaking down these barriers.

Our Impact:
✅ Training teachers on inclusive classroom practices.
✅ Partnering with OPDs to lead humanitarian efforts.
✅ Developing tools to ensure every child can access education.

29/03/2026

"We are not just beneficiaries. We are partners." 🌍

In Colombia and Niger, local disability groups and humanitarian organizations are teaming up to ensure children with disabilities can still go to school during crises.

Supported by Education Cannot Wait and the International Disability Alliance, these workshops show that inclusion starts with listening to the experts who live the reality every day.

Read how they are building a shared vision for education:

Though governments have committed to ‘leaving no one behind’ in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), children with disabilities continue to be underrepresented and underserved in humanitarian responses.  Peop...

25/03/2026

In conflict-affected regions of Colombia 🇨🇴, educators are on the frontlines of change.

Through a project funded by Education Cannot Wait and implemented by International Disability Alliance and Inclusion International, teachers in Arauca, Chocó, and Nariño are learning how to make their classrooms truly inclusive.

As one teacher in Arauca shared: "I now understand that it’s not about everyone reaching the same point, nor about them doing it in the same way."

By focusing on Universal Design for Learning, these teachers are removing barriers so every child can learn.

Read the full story here:

In regions affected by conflict, displacement, and extreme poverty, teachers often find themselves on the frontlines of multiple crises. For children with disabilities in these emergency settings, the school can be a vital sanctuary—but only if teachers are equipped with the right tools to support...

25/03/2026

We need your help to build a global resource list for siblings of people with intellectual disabilities!

Our Siblings Working Group is mapping out the best tools, programmes, and articles available so we can understand what support already exists and where the gaps are.

If you know of a genuinely helpful resource, whether local or global, please share it with us using this quick form:

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Our Siblings Working Group (Inclusion International) is building a global resource list to support siblings of people with intellectual disabilities. This will help us understand what already exists and identify gaps across different life stages and regions. Please only submit resources you believe....

17/03/2026

"A classroom can really provide protection and a safe space during chaos and difficult times."

Last week during the 61st session of the Human Rights Council, Inclusion International's Federica Settimi spoke at the "The Key to My Freedom" side event. She emphasized that to truly support children in emergency settings, Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) must be recognized as expert partners in the design and delivery of aid, not just recipients.

We are proud to partner with Education Cannot Wait and the International Disability Alliance to launch new tools to make this a reality. Catch up on her presentation here:

All efforts to address access to education in armed conflict situations must be intentionally inclusive if they are to succeed.Join us at the Side Event to t...

17/03/2026

A great opportunity for service providers: our colleagues at EASPD and Humanitas are co-hosting the "Leading Change in Disability Services" conference this May.

If your organisation is navigating current sector pressures and looking for ways to adapt while keeping human rights at the centre of your work, this event is worth checking out.

📍 Porto, Portugal | 🗓️ 14–15 May 2026
Explore the program and register here:

Let’s exploreRethinking disability support servicesOur international conference will bring together disability service leaders and professionals to learn how to drive organisational change. We will look at how services can:Modernise governance and management modelsImprove organisational efficiency...

10/03/2026

People with intellectual disabilities and our families are among the most overlooked in the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

When people are forced to leave their homes and services shut down, we are hit hardest. Yet our experiences are too often ignored by humanitarian organisations.

We have the right to be safe in a crisis. We are calling on governments and aid organisations to make sure their response includes us.

Read our Statement of Solidarity:

The humanitarian crisis in the Middle East is getting worse, and persons with intellectual disabilities and their families are struggling. In conflicts and emergency situations, persons with intellectual disabilities are at a higher risk of danger and exclusion.  In the Middle East, many people are...

28/02/2026

Our blog highlights powerful voices from the World Congress on why inclusive education for children with disabilities must continue during crises.

Featuring work supported by the International Disability Alliance and funded by Education Cannot Wait.

👉 https://lnkd.in/e_ZEYa9v

27/02/2026

Children with disabilities are often excluded from education during crises because Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) are rarely engaged as partners.

Funded by Education Cannot Wait, our new interactive Learning Tool for OPDs changes this by helping disability advocates apply their expertise to humanitarian settings.

This resource supports OPDs to identify implementation gaps and advise on building equitable education systems for all children.

🔗 Access here: https://inclusion-international.org/resource/inclusive-eie-tool/

23/02/2026

"When we don’t know, families feel that we are the problem and that we have to solve it ourselves.” – Maleni, mother from Tumaco, Nariño

During the Inclusive Education in Emergencies workshops in Colombia, parents and community leaders shared the challenges children with disabilities face: unsafe journeys to school, lack of teacher support, and segregated classrooms.

Through this project, we are working with the International Disability Alliance and our members in Colombia and Niger to make sure children with disabilities are not left out of education during crises.

With support from Education Cannot Wait, families, OPDs, and humanitarian organisations are building advocacy skills, sharing knowledge, and co-creating action plans for inclusive schools - even in emergencies.

18/02/2026

What happens when we listen to people with intellectual disabilities?

Mark Mapemba, our Self-Advocacy Coordinator, worked with the International Rescue Committee in Burkina Faso and Ethiopia. He supported a project to include adolescent girls with intellectual disabilities in humanitarian work.

Mark and other self-advocates led the project from the start. They used the Listen Include Respect guidelines to make sure the work was accessible.

Because self-advocates were in charge, the project saved time and money. It also meant girls who are often ignored could finally share their ideas.

We want more organisations to work with self-advocates as equal partners. Using these guidelines helps everyone see what works for inclusion.

Read Mark's full story on Bond:

Mark Mapemba, Self-Advocacy Coordinator at Inclusion International, on why development organisations should work with disability organisations as equal partners from the start of projects if they want them to be truly inclusive.